IT is, without a doubt, one of Andalucia’s most evocative valleys. But despite being discovered by British Prime Minister David Cameron, few people have unearthed the true secrets of the Guadiaro Valley.

So it is no surprise, that British Prime Minister David Cameron recently told his Spanish counterpart Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero that taking holidays in the area was going to be one of the things he would most miss about leading his country.

AH NO, boyo! Not in the Land of my Fathers but in Andalucia, inland from Malaga in southern Spain, travelling through gorges as well as valleys to meet old friends and taste local wines.

A couple of years ago we visited Andalucia and one of the places where we stayed had two bonuses: an infant vineyard and a railway embankment, which is when Wink learnt of my love of trains…

A few years ago Brian and Monica Green moved to the village of Estacion Cortes de la Frontera (also known as La Cañada del Real Tesoro) on the edge of the Grazalema National Park, south of Ronda. We rented their lovely little cottage, La Casita, adjoining their villa, Finca del Rio, an old Andalucian farmhouse.

IT was an opportunity that even the insular General Franco could not turn down.

Despite over two decades since the end of the Civil War, much of Spain was still in an economic mess.

And the Republican stronghold of Andalucia – largely ignored by the Spanish dictator – was facing ruin.

Yet a ray of light arrived from the most unlikely of places which was to change the lives and fortunes of thousands of Andalucians.

With the number of cars fast growing on Andalucia’s roads, street-wise locals are rapidly getting on board the region’s burgeoning railway system.

Although the high-speed AVE is stealing all the plaudits, those in the know understand that a little-known mountain trail provides not only a great day-out but also a green escape.

THE area known as Llanos de Líbar lies between the municipalities of Montejaque, Benaoján and Cortes de la Frontera and is one of the most isolated areas of Andalucía. It is a high plain with an altitude of more than 1000 metres above sea level.

This vast area gave its name to the Cortijo de Líbar which sits almost equidistant from Montejaque and Cortes de la Frontera and a place where visitors can take some respite from the vastness and inhospitable appearance of the landscape.

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[Llanos de Libar article - Sur in English - 27 November 2009]

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THERE are lemons on the line, but that’s not a problem. It would take more than a few fallen fruits to delay the 7.15am from Granada to Algeciras.

Speeding through the Spanish countryside, its driver mindful of a refund pledge if it runs late, it is on track to carry us from the mountain hamlet of Benaojan Estacion to the village of Jimera de Libar, seven minutes away.